Meter.



No. 756,299. 'PATENTBD 9911.5, 1904.

J. A. TILDEN.

METER.

APPLIOATION v111ml) 111-10. 4. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNrrnn STATES Patented April 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. TILDEN, OF HYDEPARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HERSEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SOUTH BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A.

CORPORATION OF MAINE.

METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,299,0.ated April 5, 1904.

A Application tiled December 4, 1903. Serial No. 183,746. (No model.)

To all whom t mfc/y concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. TILDEN, a citizen vof the United States, residing at Hydepark, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, (whose post-office address is as above,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meters, of whichl the following' is a specification.

My invention relates to meters, and more 1o particularly to those of the current type, having for its principal object the provision of an effective support for the movable measuring device thereof.

It consists in the various features hereinaf- 15 ter described and more particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my invention, a portion of the casing being broken away to show the interior construction, these 2o inner elements being in section; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of the supporting means.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout both figures of the drawings.

The numeral designates a casing of a form suitable to contain the operating parts and provided with the usual inlet and outlet passages 11 and 12, respectively. Within this casing is shown the usual deflector 13, serving 3o by its inclined vanes 14' to direct the entering current against the buckets 15 of the measuring device or wheel 16, the supporting means for whichwill now be described.

Mounted in the casing, conveniently upon 3 5 an inner conical wall 17 of the detlector, is a spindle 18, here illustrated as substantially vertical. The wheel 16 carries a depending sleeve 18, surrounding this spindle, which is preferably spaced therefrom by a member or 4o bushing 19, serving to receive the lateral thrust of the wheel-sleeve under the impulse of the current. The bushing is conveniently of hard rubber, which is free to rotate independently of the contacting elements and has 45 a preferably integral annular projection or flange 20 above the wheel resting against an upward extension 2()L of the sleeve 18 for the purpose hereinafter described. The spindle,

apart from the lifting' action of the iiuid flow, wholly bears the weight of the wheel, it being hung upon the upper extremity thereof, which is preferably provided with an enlargement or head 21, having at its lower side an y27, and between this cap and the head 21 ,and

movable independently thereof isv a bearing member 28, preferably in the form of a sphere or ball of hard rubber, which carries the 'weight of the wheel. The dimensions of the parts are such that some free lateral movement, as well as rotation, is allowed the ball, so that any wear which may occur will be distributed by this revolution einer its entire periphery and a considerable surface of the upper sideV of the head and the opposing inner wall of the cap.` To so limit the movement of the ball that it will not contact with the sidewall of the cap in which the openings interrupt the surface, the spindle-head is formed with a dcpression 29, which is here shown as having an inclined or conical side wall 80, with some circumferential element of which, preferably below the sharp upper edge, which might eX- ert a scoring action, the ball contacts.

In assembling the wheel and its supporting elements the bushing may be inserted in the sleeve 18al and then slipped over the spindle. The head is then screwed into the spindle, being of hexagonal form to permit this to be readily done, and the ball placed in the depression. The operation is completed by screwing the cap upon the wheel. The flange 2() of the bushing 19 extends'between the under side of the spindle-head and the top of the spindle extension and furnishes a loose indepen dently-rotatable washer between these coperating elements, serving as a thrustbearing to receive the pressure of the wheel resulting from the lifting effect of the current. The arm 31 of the intermediate gearing of the meter may be actuated by an eecentric-pin 32, fixed to the upper side of the bearing-cap. Thegeneral operation of the meter is as usual in this type.

It will be seen that in my improved meter the friction in the support of the rotatable measuring device is reduced to a minimum and the slight wear very uniformly distributed over a considerable surface. There are practically no contacting weight-bearing surfaces between which grit can lodge, and any possibility of such abrasive particles gathering is pievented by the free iow of fluid through the cap by means of the openings 27. The interposing of the independently-rotatable bushing and its flange between thev spindle and head and the wheel distributes the bearing and wear each over two distinct surfaces and reduces by one-half the possibility of sticking by the entrance of dirt, and the joinder of thebushing and washer simplifies the structure.

Having thus ldescribed my invention, I claiml. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing and provided with a depression at its extremity, a measuring device movable about the spindle, and a laterallymovable ball situated within the depression and coacting with the measuring device.

2. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing and provided with a depression at its extremity, a measuring device movable about the spindle, and a laterallymovable ball situated within the depression and coacting with the measuring device and being limited in its movement by a wall of the depression.

3. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing and provided with a depression at its extremity, a measuring device movable about the spindle, and a ball situated within the depression and coacting with the measuring device and being limited in its movement by an element of the depressionwall below the upper edge.

4. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing, a thrust-bearing, a rotatable measuring device, and an integral member interposed between the measuring device and both the spindle and thrust-bearing and rotatable independently of these elements.

5. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing, a thrust-bearing, a rotatable measuring device and a bushing interposed between the measuring device and spindle and being provided with a flange extending between the measuring device and thrustp bearing.

6. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle November, 1903.

mounted in the casing and provided with an enlargement at its extremity, a measuring device moyable about the spindle uponone side of the enlargement and supported upon the opposite side thereof, and independently-movable members interposed between the measuring device and both the spindle and enlargement.

7. A meter comprising a casing, a spindle mounted in the casing, a removable head for the spindle, a measuring device movable about the spindle upon one side of the head and supported upon the opposite side thereof, and a bushing interposed between the measuring device and spindle and being provided with a flange extending between the measuring device and head.

8. The combination with a casing, of a substantially vertical spindle mounted in the casing, a rotatable wheel surrounding the spindle, a head threaded to the upper end of the spindle, a hollow cap secured to the wheel, and a ball within the cap cooperating therewith and with the head.

9. The combination with a casing, of a substantially vertical spindle mounted in the casing, a rotatable wheel surrounding the spindle, a head threaded to the upperend of the spindle and provided with a iange serving as a thrust-bearing for the wheel, a hollow cap secured to the wheel and surrounding the head, and a ball within the cap cooperating therewith and with the head.

10. The combination with a casing, of a substantially vertical spindle mounted in the casing, a rotatable wheel surrounding the spindle, a head threaded to the upper end of the spindle and having a depression, a hollow cap provided with openings in its side walls secured to the wheel, and a laterally-movable ball within the cap cooperating therewith and with the depression and being limited in its movements by a wall thereof.

ll. The combination with a casing, of a substantially vertical spindle mounted in the casing, a rotatable wheel surrounding the spindle, a head threaded to the upper end of the spindle and provided with a flange, a hollow cap secured to the wheel, a ball within the cap cooperating therewith and with the head, and a bushing interposed between the spindle and wheel and having aflange extending between the wheel and head.

Signed at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, this 30th day of JAMES A. TILDEN.

Witnesses:

HENRY D. WINToN, FRANCIS C. HnRsEY, Jr.

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